1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hay bale feeder apparatus and particularly such apparatus for feeding out hay from round bales.
2. Description of the Prior Art
To the present time it has been known to provide numerous types of hay bale feeders which enable the feeding out of round hay bales as they are towed or otherwise moved over the feed out area by means of a tractor or other agricultural vehicle.
Such previously known hay bale feeders have suffered from several disadvantages including their being complex and hence expensive not being suitable for particular types of terrain; not being suitable for particular types of feed; or not giving a uniform or desired feed-out.
In one particular form of previous design a major disadvantage has been that when a large round bale has been reduced in diameter to a certain amount the core that is left instead of continuing to give a uniform feed-out is able to escape through the feed exit which of course does not result in an efficient utilization of the entire round bale contents.
In another previous design described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,733 of Mar. 14, 1978 of Franz Michael Popiolek there is proposed the use of two generally planar conveyor beds which are placed end to end to form respectively the base and side wall of a trough. The first of these planar conveyor beds has a claw array which controls the rolling movement of the bale in order to achieve the pressing of the bale against the second planar conveyor. This second conveyor has tines which engage with the bale to discharge the bale material over its upper end. The bale as it sits on the first conveyor bed and is pressed against the second conveyor bed assumes a flattened shape and this design would be unable to handle an irregularly shaped bale. Furthermore, in attempting to achieve an effective handling and feeding-out of regularly shaped bales it is proposed that the respective inclinations of the conveyor beds are arranged with the second conveyor having a steeper incline than the first conveyor and with it also being driven at a higher speed.